


sickly sweet

by buck_begins



Series: Maddie Buckley week 2020 [6]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Gen, Hurt No Comfort, tw allergic reaction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-07
Updated: 2020-08-07
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25798339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buck_begins/pseuds/buck_begins
Summary: After everything she and Buck had been through together, Maddie didn’t think that coffee would be the one thing that caused her the most panic, and for her heart to almost stop. It was one mistake, but it would almost cost her everything.Day 6: “Just, hold on.” + hurt
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley & Maddie Buckley
Series: Maddie Buckley week 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1862182
Kudos: 24





	sickly sweet

After everything she and Buck had been through together, Maddie didn’t think that coffee would be the one thing that caused her the most panic, and for her heart to almost stop. It was one mistake, but it would almost cost her everything.

It started off with the two of them going to a bakery together. Buck insisted that Maddie tried their new cupcakes, wanting her to experience a wide selection of L.A. bakeries before she settled on one for her wedding cake. Buck, the self proclaimed sweet tooth of the team, knew all the best bakeries and was determined to drag her to all of them. They walked out of the bakery with three different boxes full of cupcakes, cookies, and .

The logical thing for them to do with a small mountain of baked goods was for them to get coffee. The two were a perfect pairing, and they couldn’t pass it up. Not when there was a coffee shop right next to the bakery. It was busy inside, so Buck agreed to wait outside with all of the food they got. While they were busy, it didn’t take too long for the drinks to be made. They continued walking to the park, figuring it was the right place to try everything. It wasn’t often that they got time recently to just enjoy some of nature that L.A. had to offer. It seemed to either be too hot or raining, or they both had to work on the nice days. It was a real tragedy.

“So you’re going to just die for the salted caramel cupcake. I think it’s too much for a cake, but I think it could work as just spare cupcakes, if that’s something you wanted.” Buck pushed the cupcake over towards her as soon as she sat down. He was practically vibrating with excitement, but that could have been too. much caffeine. Hard to tell. He really was the human embodiment of a golden retriever sometimes.

Maddie took a bite, and she had to agree with Buck. “You’re definitely right. We could have this at the rehearsal dinner, if Chim’s good with it.” 

If Buck could have gotten any more excited, he would have. He somehow also looked nervous. “Okay, so don’t be mad, but I may have taken Chim out to try these cupcakes yesterday. You can both pick your favorites and then discuss. I know you haven’t had a ton of off days together, so I thought this would be a good way to help.” 

Maddie realized he was nervous because he thought he maybe had overstepped. She knew he was excited about the wedding, it was finally one where he liked the groom and could actually attend. “No no, it’s a great idea. We can even swing by the station to drop off the extras, and Chim and I can talk for a bit then.” It would also be a chance for Maddie and Chim to pop their questions. They realized they weren’t going to have a traditional wedding very quickly. Maddie didn’t want anyone giving her away, and Chim agreed with that. But both needed to ask someone at the station a question, and they were planning on casually slipping it into conversation. That was more their style anyways. Maddie was going to ask Buck to be her man of honour, and Chim was going to ask Hen to be his best woman. It made the most sense to the two of them.

Any nervousness flowed right out of Buck’s body. “Sounds like a good idea. Now you’ve got to try the matcha one. I think I would die for it, and I think you might too.” 

The two ended up sitting for another half an hour, trying various cupcakes and talking about their weeks. It had been a fairly boring week all around. No major calls for either of them. It was unusual, and should have been a warning to both of them. However, neither of them heeded the signs the universe was sending their way. 

When they arrived at the station, the truck and ambulance were out on a call. They let Devin, who was the man behind that day, get first dibs. They headed up to the loft to wait for the rest, knowing food would be greatly appreciated after a call. 

“Hey, I’m going to grab some more coffee, do you want any?” Buck was already pouring a cup for himself before he even asked. The pot was still fresh, probably made right before the alarm went off. That’s how it always seemed to be on shift.

“I’ll pass, not all of us have a coffee addiction like you do.” Maddie teased. There was a scent coming from the coffee pot, an almost sickly sweet one. Even if she hasn’t reached her limit on caffeine for the day, she wasn’t in the mood for a flavored coffee. It was a familiar smell, and she couldn’t exactly place it. 

“Suit yourself.” 

It only took one sip for Buck to notice something was wrong. It was a large sip, and that was his first mistake. Taking another sip when he started coughing was the next mistake. It felt like when he was choking on his date with Abby. His throat was closing up, and he couldn’t figure out why. His legs felt weird, and suddenly he was on the ground.

It didn’t take Maddie long to realize something was wrong with Buck. A couple of coughs to clear your throat was one thing, but a bunch of them was another. When she looked up to see her brother panicking, desperately trying to breathe, she knew something was wrong. When he fell to the ground, she knew whatever was happening was serious. It took a few seconds for her nurse training to override her worried older sister instincts. The wheezing she could hear, and the redness of Buck’s face led her to believe he was having an allergic reaction. She didn’t even know he had any allergies like this. Her eyes frantically searched the kitchen, hoping for a med kit. When she couldn’t find one, she knew she was going to have to leave him. She could have called for Devin, but she knew he wouldn’t hear her.

“Just, hold on.” Maddie didn’t want to leave Buck, but she had no choice. She ran down the steps and into the supply cupboard. Why she knew where that was was a question for Chimney. She rifled through the medical supplies until she found what she was looking for. She sprinted back up the stairs, distraught by the fact she couldn’t even hear the desperate wheezes coming from Buck. She stabbed the epi pen into his thigh, praying to whatever god would listen to just let her brother make it through this. 

Buck took a breath, and then another one. His throat still wasn’t fully clear, but it had opened up enough for him to at least breathe. Maddie hasn’t realized she started crying. She pulled her phone out to call 911, knowing Buck needed an ambulance. By some stroke of luck, the 118 was pulling back into the station right before she pressed the call button. She immediately called the crew up to help. Her words might not have come out right, but the sentiment was clear. When the team rushed up stairs, saw Buck collapsed on the floor with a used epi pen next to him, they immediately jumped to action. Between Hen, Chim, and Eddie they got him downstairs and onto an ambulance, taking off immediately. Distantly, she could hear Bobby calling dispatch, telling them to take the 118 offline. He gently guided her down the stairs and into the spare SUV they usually used to pick up food. She could hear him saying something to her, but it wasn’t processing.

Hazelnuts.

That was the sickly sweet smell coming from the coffee.

She could have stopped this. She had known Buck was allergic to them since he was three and accidentally ate a chocolate that had hazelnuts in it.

If she had just figured it out sooner, this wouldn’t have happened. If she had been even a second slower, she could have lost her brother for good, and she would have never stopped blaming herself for that.

**Author's Note:**

> im not sorry


End file.
